A YOUNG Scottish girl is donating all the money she receives from selling her hens eggs to buy much needed hospital equipment in Ukraine.

Eight-year-old Rosie Morrison, from Ardvourlie, on North Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, wanted to raise funds to help Ukraine and decided to donate all the cash made from selling her hens' eggs.

The kind-hearted girl normally sells the eggs for £2 per half dozen via an honesty box at the end of their driveway, but since word spread that she was raising money for Ukraine, sales have rocketed.

Rosie’s mum, Cristina McAvoy, said they had raised more than £450 so far and donations had started coming in, even without any eggs being purchased.

Cristina said: “Rosie has a real passion for hens and has around 50 in total, half of which are currently laying. She likes to rear them herself, hatching chicks from eggs in incubators and has won rosettes in the past at shows.

“Fours years ago, an otter attack killed all the hens so we had to restock and now Rosie has grown very attached to them. She even calls their chicken coop Hensylvania, and the hens have different houses called Bluebell Cottage, Brahma Bungalow, Cluckleberry Inn and Bantam's Bothy.”

The Scottish Farmer:

Busy hens laying eggs for charity (picture taken before avian flu regulatiosn came into being)

Rosie rears different breeds, namely Rhode Island Red, Golden Partridge Brahmas, Polish bantams, Silkies, Bluebells, Marans and Scots Dumpies.

Every week, she sells up to 200 eggs to local people that stop to buy them from the honesty box.

Cristina said: “We normally sell the eggs for £2 for six and put the funds back into their keep and upgrading their coops. With all that is going on in Ukraine, Rosie wanted to save her pennies for the Ukrainians as the chicken coops are all in good nick and we don’t need any more hens!

“Customers have heard what she is doing and are leaving bigger donations for the eggs. Now we are averaging £7.33 for six eggs. However, people that are not buying eggs are also sending donations via Paypal to help raise more funds.”

Aged just eight, Rosie has sufficient awareness of the situation in Ukraine and she wanted to make sure that every penny she raised went direct to a worthy cause in the country, rather than get lost in a big charity somewhere. With her mum’s help, they found a Scottish guy who is working in Ukraine helping transport orphans to safety.

Cristina said: “That man is also helping to buy generators for the hospitals as some of them have no power. We have already sent money to buy a generator and will keep on raising money throughout April and perhaps May to help Ukraine.”

Before she ventured out to make the daily egg collection, a very proud Rosie said she thanks all the people who are buying eggs and are making donations.

If anyone would like to donate to Rosie’s efforts the Paypal address is windsweptstina@aol.com

Were there with Ukraine

We're there with Ukraine